Adjustable support



Sept. 19, 1933. H. H. PORTER ETAL ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT Filed Feb.

l' N VENTO/as HSA/Ry H. PORTER WILLARD D. PoRTER 15M; MM

A-r-roFrNe-y Patented Sept. 19, 1933` UNITED STATES PATENT ortica ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT Henry H. Porter and Willard Dolphus Porter, Minneapolis, Minn.

Application February 5, 1932. Serial No. 591,066

3 Claims.

, ment after it has passed through the dry cleaning operation, for the purpose of locating any spots or other marks which may not have been removed by the dry cleaning operation. Such spots or marks are then manually removed from the article or garment, if possible, bythe use of suitable chemicals or cleaning iiuids. This is particularly true in. the cleaning of iine ladies dresses or gowns, as such articles are often rather frail, and therefore do not permit rough handling in the cleaning operation.

To thus examine the articles or garments, they are usually supported upon suitable clothes hangers suspended from the ceiling or an overhead support, by meansof flexible elements or cords. These cords are usually provided with hooks or loops arranged at different elevations so that the operator may adjust the position of the garment vertically, by changing the position of the clothes hanger upon its supporting cord. By thus supporting the clothes hangers, they are adjustable in steps only,` whereby it is not always possible for the operator to position the article so that the portion thereof to be worked upon, will be located at the most convenient height or elevation. It is therefore desirable that means be provided whereby the clothes hanger upon which an article to be examined is supported, need not be detached from its support during the examining and spotting operations, and whereby it may be quickly and conveniently adjusted vertically to an elevation to suit the convenience of the spotter or operator. t is also common practice to support certain articles or garments in a similar manner while portions thereof are being pressed by the operator.

An object of the present invention, therefore, is to provide a devicerwhich is capable of supporting an article or, garment at anyy desired elevation to suit the convenience of the operator, and which is very simple in construction, and may be lconveniently manipulated by the operator when it is desired to change the position of the garment from one elevation to another.

A further object is to provide a device of the lClass described comprising a casing having a tubular member secured to a wall thereof and axially disposed within the casing, and a springactuated spool being mounted on said member and having a suitable cord wound thereabout which has a portion traversing an opening in the casing, whereby one end thereof may be secured to a suitable overhead support, and a suitable locking bolt being provided for locking the spool against rotation upon said tubular member whereby the garment suspended from said aevice may be supported at a desired elevation,

thereby expediting the operation of'inspecting the garment and in otherwise treating it before the dry cleaning operation.

Other objects of the invention will appear from the following description and accompanying drawing and will be pointed out in the annexed claims.

In the accompanying drawing, there has been disclosed a structure designed to carry out the understood that the invention is not confined to the eXact features shown as various changes may be made within the scope of the claims which follow.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a view illustrating the device suspended from an overhead support and a clothes hanger attached thereto;

Figure 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view` various objects of the invention, but it is to be showing the general construction of the interior of the device;

Figure 3 is an en d elevation partially broken away and showing the means whereby a clothes hanger may be attached thereto;

Figure 4 is a detail sectional View showing the means for locking the spool against rotation upon the tubular pivot member; y

Figure 5 is a fragmentary detail view showing rone end of the tubular member;

vided in the tubular member 4 at the point where it is secured to the casing wall 3. The opposite end of the casing is open, as shown in Figure 2, and is provided with a closure 6 suitably secured to the cylindrical wall of the casing by such means as screws 7.

A suitable spool 8 has a hub 9 which is rotatably mounted upon the tubular member 4. A suitable flexible element or cord 11 is coiled about the spool and has one end secured to the spool by means of a key slot 12, shown in Figures 2 and 4. The hub 9 is provided with a bore adapted to receive the pivot member 4. A suitable opening 13 is provided in the upper portion of the cylindrical casing 2 which is traversed by one end of the cord 11 so that the latter may be secured to a suitable overhead support, as indicated at 14 in Figure 1.

A suitable clock spring 15 has one end secured to the hub 9 of the spool, as shown at 16 in Figure 8, and has its opposite end secured to a flanged retaining disk 17 adapted to be inserted into the open end of the casing, as shown in Figure 2. The spring may be secured to the annular ange of the disk 17 by means of a rivet 18. The outer head of this rivet is here shown engaged with a recess 19 provided in the casing wall, whereby the disk 17 is locked against rotation. It will also be noted that the marginal flange of the disk 17 is shown slightly flared outwardly so that when the closure 6 is secured to the casing 2, the flanged disk 17 will be securely held in place therein by means of the closure 6, the head of the rivet 18 preventing it from relatively rotating. The spring l5 constantly tends to rotate the spool 8 in one direction. By mounting the spring 15 in the flanged disk 17, the latter serves as a retainer for the spring, whereby should the spring accidentally break, it will be retained in the disk and may readily be removed from the casing 2 by the removal of the disk therefrom, when the closure 6 is detached.

Means is provided for locking the spool against rotation withinv the casing and comprising a locking bolt 21 slidably mounted in the bore ofthe tubular member 4, and having suitable lateral projections 22 provided at one end thereof. These projections may be the terminals of a pin suitably secured in the inner end of the bolt 21, as shown in Figure 7, lor they may be integrally formed thereon. A plurality or V-shaped notches 23, preferably having rounded bottoms, are provided in one end of the hub 9 adapted to receive the projections 22 of the bolt 21, as shown in Figure 2. The opposite end of the bolt 21 passes through an opening provided in the closure 6 and has a suitable finger button 24 secured thereto whereby the bolt may be actuated from the eX- terior of the casing.

The bolt is constantly urged into locking position with the spool 8 by means of a suitable spring 25 having one end engaged with the inner end of the bolt 21 and having its opposite end seated against a suitably flanged plate 26 secured to the closed'end of the casing by such means as screws 27.` It is to be understood that in lieu of the screws 7 and 27, here shown, for securing the closure 6 and plate 26 to the casing, other means such as bayonet slots and pins may be used.

A suitable bail 28 is secured to the exterior of the casing 2 and is preferably shaped yas shown in Figure 3, so as to facilitate the operation of ,attaching the hook 29 of the clothes hanger 31 to the device.

In the operation of this novel device, the free end of the cord 1l may be secured to the support 14, as shown in Figure 1, after which the operator will depress the button 24 of the device and lower it to a position whereby the clothes hanger may be conveniently attached thereto. The device is then operated to position the garment at an elevation to suit the convenience of the operator. When working upon the upper portion of the garment, the clothes hanger is adjusted to a lower elevation, as indicated in full lines in Figure 1, by simply pressing the button 24 inwardly and manually pulling the device downwardly against the tension of the spring 19. When it is desired to adjust the garment to a higher elevation, the operator grasps the device and actuates the button 24, whereupon the action of the spring 15 will elevate the garment to the desired elevation, controlled by the operator. "When the garment has been moved to the desired elevation, the operator releases the button 24, whereupon the spring 25 will move the locking bolt into locking engagement with the spool and thus secure it against rotation within the casing. It will thus be seen that by means of this simple device, an article suspended therefrom may be quickly and conveniently adjusted to the desired height without removing the clothes hanger therefrom, thereby making it possible to expedite the operation of examining and removing spots from the articles or garments, and also whereby the hand-pressing operation may be expedited.

We claim as our invention:

1. In a device of the class described, a casing, a tubular member secured toan end wall of said casing and axially disposed within the casing, a spool having a suitable hub mounted for rotation on said member, a exible element wound about said spool and having one end secured thereto, the opposite end of said element passing through an aperture in the wall of said casing, whereby the device may be suspended from an overhead support, a spring having one end connected with said hub, a retainer for said spring removably supported in said casing, means for securing the opposite end of the spring to said retainer whereby said spring constantly tends to rotate the spool in a direction to wind the element thereon, a spring-actuated locking bolt slidably and nonrotatably mounted in said tubular member and having means adapted to interlock with said hub whereby the spool may be locked against rotation to support the device at a desired elevation, means eXteriorly of the casing for actuating said bolt to release the spool, and means on said casing for supporting a clothes hanger thereon.

2. In a device of the class described, a cylin-v drical casing open at one end and provided at its opposite end with a suitable wall, a tubular member secured to said end wall and axially disposed within said casing, said tubular member having diametrically opposed slots in its walls,l

a spool having a hub mounted for rotation upon said tubular member, said hub having notches in one end thereof adapted to register with the slots in said tubular member, a flexible element wound upon said spool and having one end se-v cured thereto, the opposite end of said flexible element passing through an aperture provided in a wall of said casing whereby the device may be suspended from an overhead support, a flanged discoid member secured in the open end of said casing, a spring mounted in said discoid member and having one end secured thereto and having its opposite end secured to the hub of the spool whereby said spring constantly acts to rotate the spool in a direction to wind the flexible element thereon, a flanged closure secured to the open end of said casing and concealing said discoid member and the spring supported therein, a locking bolt slidably mounted in said tubular member and having one end projecting through an aperture provided in said closure, lateral projections on said locking bolt received in the diametrically opposed slots in said tubular member, a spring bearing against said bolt and tending to retain the projections on said locking bolt in locking engagement with thenotches in the hub of said spool to thereby lock the spool against rotation, and means whereby said locking bolt may be axially translated in said tubular member to release said spool and permit the device to be raised or lowered.

3. In a device of the class described, a cylindrical casing open at one end and provided at its opposite end with a suitable wall, a tubular member secured to said end wall and axially disposed within said casing, said tubular member having diametrically opposed slots in its walls, a spool having a hub mounted for rotation upon said tubular member, said hub having notches in one end thereof adapted to register withthe slots in said tubular member, a iiexbile element Wound upon said spool and having one end secured thereto, the opposite end of said flexible element passing through an aperture provided inv a Wall of said casing whereby the device may be suspended from an overhead support, a anged discoid member secured in the open end of said casing, a spring mounted in said discoid member and having one end secured thereto and having its opposite end secured to the hub of the spool whereby said spring constantly acts to rotate the spool in a direction to wind the flexible element thereon, a anged closure secured to the open end of said casing and concealing said discoid member and the spring supported therein, a cap iitting over the closed end of the casing and having a recess therein, a locking bolt slidably mounted in said tubular member and having one end projecting through an aperture provided in said closure, lateral projections on said locking bolt received in the diametrically opposed slots in said tubular member, a spring having one end bearing against one end of said bolt and having its opposite end seated in the recess in said cap, whereby said spring will normally retain the projections on said locking bolt in locking engagement with the'notches in the hub of said spool to thereby lock the spool against rotation, and means whereby said locking bolt may be axially translated in said tubular member to release said spool and permit the device to be raised or lowered.

HENRY H. PORTER.

WILLARD DOLPHUS PORTER. 

